Araweelo News Network.

 

#Tigray TPLF leaders say they are still fighting on various fronts

Washington(ANN)- The situation in Ethiopia’s #Tigray region has deteriorated, with fighting still raging in the area, which federal government forces say was seized weeks ago.

Aid workers have been killed in the region, leaving the people of Tigray in dire straits, and genocide and isolation continue where basic services, such as telephones, internet and other services, are still lacking. Transportation flow, so it is difficult to know the exact situation in that region.

READ: Tigray: Mekele situation looted, Bombed and Massacred

The United States has called on Eritrea to withdraw its troops from the Tigray region according to a State Department spokesman.

“We are aware of credible reports of Eritrean military involvement in Tigray and view this as a grave development. We urge that any such troops be withdrawn immediately. “a State Department spokesperson said.

Both Ethiopia and Eritrea have denied that Eritrean troops have been involved in fighting It is confirmed that Eritrean troops have entered Tigray camps in region, where they live nearly 100,000 Eritrean refugees They fled political persecution and compulsory military service, long before the current conflict.

Ethiopia’s government said on Friday it was returning a large number of “misinformed” Eritrean refugees to Tigray after they had fled to the capital Addis Ababa – a moved which has alarmed the UN.

READ: Tigray spokesman Getachew Reda says thousands of Ethiopian soldiers and militias killed

These issues coincided; with Aid agencies say blocked access, delays and violence against staff are preventing aid deliveries to the Tigray region.

The Ethiopian government on Friday denied the conflict was preventing aid reaching civilians.

The Ethiopian government, for its part, said a statement from the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, “Suggestions that humanitarian assistance is impeded due to active military combat within the Tigray region untrue.” Such statements undermine efforts to stabilize the region, it added.

Mr Abiy said last week that federal troops had not killed a single civilian in their offensive on Tigray. But that is not close to reality, according to reports from aid agencies and human rights organizations.

Likewise the Civilians fleeing fighting in Tigray last month told Reuters news agency that they had seen bombing by government warplanes, shooting on the streets, and people being attacked with machetes.

Human rights groups have previously issued a statement condemning the massacre in Tigray since the beginning of the conflict on 4 November 2020.

Ethiopian troops captured Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, from the TPLF on 28 November, but fighting has reportedly continued in parts of the region. But TPLF leaders say they are still fighting on various fronts.

READ: Tigray crisis: ‘Civilians massacred’, says Amnesty International

Aid agencies say some of their staff have been killed the IRC said its member of staff had been killed in Hitsats Refugee Camp in Shire on 19 November, two days before government troops took control of the town.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague; our in-country staff are the very heart of our work and are key in our ability to provide support and assistance to our clients,” the IRC said in a statement, adding that efforts to gather information continued.

A lot of information about the killings is still unclear. The area is still under a communications blackout so it is difficult to verify information. The DRC said it was “deeply saddened” over the deaths of three of its guards.  “Sadly, due to the lack of communications and ongoing insecurity in the region, it has not yet been possible to reach their families,” it said.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) reported the deaths of three security guards, while the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said one of its staff members had been killed.

Hundreds, even thousands, of people are thought to have been killed in the conflict, while about 50,000 have fled to neighbouring Sudan.